whiskeysnoot: Yes, we are packing in on foot. We wear waders and walk about 200 yards from our parked cars to the edge of the marsh. We walk in another 200 yards, about, through muddy bottomed marsh about knee deep, marsh grass with about 4 inches of water in it (having to high step to keep from tripping in the marsh grass), across a welcome patch of dry ground with some oaks, then back into muddy bottomed water in flooded timber, out of the trees to open water puctuated with patches of cat tails and some sort of brush that grows in the water there. The water is only about knee deep through most of the area we hunt. When there is ice on the water in the mornings the hike in is a little more troublesome, as we break ice with either our boot foot (which requires high stepping, which is tiring) or lean down on the ice with our shin, or just sort of kick our shin into the ice, which can be a little painful and has cut waders of one member of our group in the past.

There are several open patches of water -- bigger and smaller in area. The biggest area may be about 1 to 2 acres in extent. We put out about a dozen mallards decoys and about a dozen teal decoys. My mallard decoy population has diminished somewhat so I find I have 3 drakes and 5 suzies remaining. These are enough decoys, I think, for this small water that we are hunting. Groups of ducks we see flying are typically singles, doubles, six, or eight. Given these circumstances, I'm thinking a dozen mallard decoys and 6-8 GW teal decoys is ample.

Thanks all for the information. When I feel the need to repopulate my decoys -- maybe before next season -- I'll probably go with G&H standard sized mallards. I drive through the home town of G&H decoys, Henrietta, Oklahoma, all the time when I drive from my home in North Texas to visit my in-laws in Tulsa, Oklahoma and particularly when I go up to duck hunt with my niece's husband NW of Tulsa. I dropped in at their showroom once and received an interesting discussion of what minor features they add to their decoys that make them better. I don't remember all of these points, but one had to do with how the edge of the decoy merges with the water and makes the decoy more stable on rocking water.